I’ll admit it right off the bat: the recent glut of Disney musicals aren’t really for me. While I appreciate that they’re far better than their noughties output, you’re way more likely to find me singing the praises of Zootopia or Wreck-It Ralph than Frozen or Tangled, and not just because I’m not the right demographic. I found Moana an improvement on the previous two, with one of Disney’s all-time great female protagonists in its title character, absolutely gorgeous animation and visuals, and catchy, meaningful songs from the incredible Lin-Manuel Miranda. Unfortunately, its steadfast refusal to waver from the typical Disney story structure and reliance on lazy, cliched humour means it still falls short of the studio’s best.
The story is set in the islands of Polynesia, and takes tons of inspiration from Polynesian culture and legends without mocking or belittling them in any way. It begins with a legend about the demigod Maui (who is real, and the supposed creator of the islands) attempting to steal the heart of the island goddess Te Fiti (who is fictional, just so we know where we’re at) to gift to humanity, but inadvertently losing it and causing the area to become slowly enveloped by darkness. A thousand years later, this darkness reaches the island of Motunui, and the chief’s daughter/heir Moana, ‘chosen’ by the ocean and gifted the heart as a child, sets off on a voyage to find Maui and return the heart to its rightful place.
Moana herself is absolutely one of the greatest elements of the movie — she’s the best Disney “princess” since the 90s, and can easily stand alongside the all-time greats. As well as the more forward-thinking elements you’ve possibly read about elsewhere — she has a more normal body type compared to the svelte princesses of old, she’s expected to lead without having to be betrothed to a man in any way — she’s also a smart, spirited, resourceful character with a solid sense of humour and killer determination who would blatantly make a great leader for her tribe. Her want to explore the seas, putting her at odds with the rules of the tribe which state they must not leave the island — Moana literally means ‘ocean’ in most Polynesian languages — is a typical Disney character trait, yet the writing and performance, especially in the opening song ‘Where You Are’, cause it to feel truly legitimate. She is extremely talented and athletic, yet over-eager and prone to failure enough that she never feels like a Mary Sue. And the vocal performance from Hawaiian singer Auli’i Cravalho is never less than fantastic, expressing every facet of the character, from frustration to unwavering intention, with complete aplomb.
Unfortunately, most other characters don’t come off as well. Maui himself is fun, and his personality does a great job of balancing the character’s classical mischievous nature with your usual Disney antihero traits. However, the writing is hit-or-miss, with his love for humanity expressed well but his constant penchant for giving up becoming especially tiring, and the frenemies-to-friends nature of his and Moana’s relationship was explored far better in Zootopia. I was really excited to hear The Rock’s voice acting, as I thought he would be perfect for the role, but he only really seems to come alive when he’s singing or angry — otherwise, he’s chosen to do some sort of B-rate Jack Black impression for some reason. He has a little tattoo version of himself that he’s frequently at odds with, which is cute, but essentially just a slightly unique spin on the silent sidekicks of Disney films of old (see Pegasus from Hunchback or even the carpet from Aladdin).
Elsewhere, Moana’s family are two-dimensional stock characters, which is especially apparent in the stubborn nature of her father and kindliness of her grandmother, who literally dies out of freaking nowhere 20 minutes in to give Moana the inspiration she needs and holy crap you guys it’s soooo calculated and has zero impact whatsoever and ugh. The ocean is also a sentient character in itself, and frequently helps Moana out, but is really just a cheap excuse to get the characters out of tight corners, becoming the dampest deus ex machina in cinema history. Voice acting-wise, nobody else really impresses except for Jemaine Clement — who could be one of the best voice actors of this generation were he not so busy being rad in other ways, and is the only performer to come close to matching Cravalho — as a gigantic hoarder crab, while Alan Tudyk makes a lot of really fun squawking noises as a dim-witted rooster who is otherwise a completely terrible and unfunny character.
It feels somewhat pointless to even mention that the animation is good in a modern-day Disney movie, but they really are back leading the way when it comes to AAA visuals. The colour scheme is vibrant and shows off the tropical aesthetic and beauty of nature very well, while the animation has bags of spirit, with a great sense of pace and comedic timing that puts most other studios to shame. The design of characters, props, and locations is never less than superb, with some of my personal favourites being the teeny Pygmy pirates and their ships, shortly followed by lava monster Te Kā. The cinematography itself is largely quite good, full of pretty shots but not exactly telling the story, but it really kicks up a notch during the action sequences, which are legitimately exciting, have an excellent sense of space, and provide most of the funniest set-pieces.
But the songs are the true star of this movie. Bringing Hamilton mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda into the fold was a fantastic choice, as his collaborations with Opetaia Foa’i and composer Mark Mancina (who also smashes the score) create an absolutely perfect blend of the epic Disney scope, South Pacific rhythms, and memorable, significant melodies. Main musical setpiece How Far I’ll Go, already Golden Globe-nominated, is the best track here and in a just world will earn Miranda the O he needs to complete his PEGOT, but I also have major soft spots for seafaring anthem We Know the Way and the return of Clement’s already-classic David Bowie voice in Shiny.
The main themes of duty vs individuality and finding your own path are very much well-worn territory for Disney and for kids films in general, and unfortunately the movie is so insistent on hitting those same story beats that it ends up feeling unnatural. Characters, especially Maui, will turn on a dime to serve the story, while so many beats, particularly at the end of the second act, feel totally artificial. At least two characters are given tired, out-of-nowhere tragic backstories. And as mentioned earlier, the film is also full of ridiculous deus ex machinas, largely due to the sentient sea but also right at the end, causing many sacrifices the characters make to feel unearned. The humour isn’t completely unpleasant but mostly just by-the-numbers and dull; luckily there aren’t many contemporary jokes, with the exception of a god-awful joke about tweeting that made me want to bash my head against the seat in front of me. The worst part is by far the brainless rooster — it adds absolutely nothing to the movie and had me thinking whoever wrote their part was equally stupid. lol it walks off the edge of a boat a bunch of times! lol it doesn’t have basic motor skills! No more, please.
Moana is in no way a waste of time, and its main target audience, as well as animation aficionados, will find plenty to like. It has a great spirit of exploration, the music will stick in your head for days, and the lead character is an incredibly progressive step forward from Disney as well as being one of their most well-rounded protagonists in eons. But its reliance on a tried-and-tested structure leads to too many moments where plot developments aren’t justified by the script, while the majority of the supporting characters don’t feel as real as Moana does. In the end, the designers, animators and songwriters are the real stars here. But it’s still better than bloody Frozen.
